92 SL1, oily sludge in coolant surge tank

This doesn't look good, guys. My wife's 92 SL1 (90K miles) had the "low coolant" light come on today. I look in the surge tank, no coolant, just some brown oily sludge.

I had just checked a few days ago and the coolant level was fine and no oily sludge.

Oil changed a few weeks ago, cooling system flushed and refilled a few months ago.

No missing oil. No obvious sign of coolant in oil. Where that quart of coolant went I dunno, it was just there a few days ago.

Is this obviously a massive cylinder head crack/failed head gasket?

I see others write here about cylinder head cracks that manifest themselves as burning oil excessively (over thousands of miles) but what I have happend suddenly over just a few days.

Any words of consolation? Can someone tell me this is just an imploding water pump?

Tim.

Reply to
shoppa
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Likely you are confusing Ginger Root with your Brown Oily Sludge.

Possibly belched out some air in the system and sucked it in or its been low and you looked at it while it was hot and in the expansion tank.

Er no.

I've never seen those post.

Imploding water pump??? Look at your system for the next few weeks while its both hot and cold and monitor the level. Likely this is the first time in a long time you actually checked your tank.

Reply to
Blah Blah

I've maintained this car for 13 years now and you're telling me I don't know what's supposed to be in the coolant tank?

Well, two mechanics disagree with you. We decided to go ahead with a remanufactured cylinder head. It's not an easy decision when the job costs more than what the blue-book value of the car is. (Well, the car's too old to be in the blue book anymore now, but what a '95 is worth.)

Tim.

Reply to
shoppa

Well considering most people who come in here who dont know where their hood latches are or "recently" discovered them... When you're ready to decipher these post on here be my guest.

You asked if it was obvious and I said no. A pressure test would have shown something unless its a head gasket that only leaked when it was hot. Forgot to mention that...

It's not an easy decision when the job

Try this

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It goes back to 85.

Reply to
Blah Blah

Well, it was pretty obvious to me that something was majorly wrong when coolant disappeared at such a catastrophic rate and there was oil where the coolant was supposed to be...

I was very proud that for the first 12 years this car required like $400 in maintenance (spark plugs, belts, oil, transmission fluid, filters, coolant, etc.) and parts (alternator, canister purge solenoid, motor mounts) not counting tire changes. And that I'd done it all myself.

What makes me particularly unhappy about the cylinder head job is that it is quite definitely beyond my ability!

Tim.

Reply to
shoppa

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